In Christ

Our church has been working its way through the book of Ephesians, one of Paul’s letters. I’ll admit there have been seasons of my life where I wasn’t sure I liked Paul much, particularly his passages about women that are often misunderstood. But with time and research, I’ve come to appreciate Paul’s writings very much.

More than once, I’ve heard the question Why are there so many books written by Paul in the Bible? Paul isn’t Jesus after all, but I think his words are a tremendous gift to us. Saul’s (this is the Hebrew version of his name) father was from the line of Benjamin, and he was named after Israel’s king. His education was extensive. He was a Pharisee, so he would have been expected to know the Torah inside and out.

As it happens, Paul (this is the Roman version of his name) was both a citizen of Israel and a citizen of Rome, which makes him remarkably well suited to help bring the narrative of Jesus to life for both Jews and Gentiles. His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus radically transformed his life. He had known all about what was written in the Scriptures, but knowing what they said had not changed him. It wasn’t until he encountered the living God that he came to fully understand that Jesus was in fact the Messiah they had been waiting for, which caused Paul to become one of the most prolific writers connecting Jesus to the promises of the Torah.

Over and over, we see Paul lay out for us what it means to be in Christ, to be redeemed, to be made new, to live as a unified body, to be full of grace and love, and on and on. Paul lays out for us the connecting threads that run from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. We see the narrative of creation, the fall, redemption, resurrection, and new creation echoed through the pages.

Which brings me to a particular passage found in Ephesians 1. As we have been reading through this book, these particular verses have continued to come to mind, and I hope today they might be an encouragement to you. 

Ephesians 1:3-14

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

As you read these words today, I hope that you will experience great joy as you remember that you have been adopted into God’s family. You are blessed with every spiritual blessing because you are in Christ. When you believed in Christ, God identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit. You are loved. You are cared for by a kind and gracious King. You are seen. You are known. You are redeemed. You are a part of God’s good plan.

Despite what is happening in the world, regardless of what you are navigating today, this is astounding news, and it is worth celebrating. 

 

~  Melissa 

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Heir of All Things

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Practicing Lament